Life of a Local Rockstar

Whenever you see Landon Hajdu, 31, you never know what you will get, from a change in hair color to a rundown of his upcoming shows or a giddy story about how he picked up a new guitar. 

Whatever the case, the lead vocalist for The Sleeperz and guitarist for BUSHFIRE has been on the move in the Long Beach music scene for five years now. With an upcoming show, and mini tour, I caught up with Hajdu to talk about his past, present, and future as a local rockstar. 

Where did your love for music come from?

My dad played piano and guitar, so I think that really got me wanting to play music. 

The first instrument I picked up was the drums, and I was drumming for a few years until my hands got big enough to try the guitar. 

My dad had guitars lying around, so I just naturally picked it up, and he started showing me a couple of things, but I never took any real lessons. 

It wasn’t like I was learning to play “Smoke on the Water”; I was just having fun writing music and composing songs as a kid. I just picked up an instrument to be creative. 

Was there a defining moment when you realized you wanted to pursue music?

Totally, yeah. I didn’t realize until high school when I quit my basketball team and started a band. 

It brought me back to when I was a little kid in elementary doing talent shows. When I was that little, I didn’t realize how much I liked that feeling right before you went on: sitting in the back, peaking behind the curtain, and seeing everyone waiting for you to do your thing. 

Landon Hadju performing on stage. Photo taken by Bowie De La Peña (@bowie_stop).

It’s like the ultimate high, waiting to perform and getting in front of everyone; it makes you feel alive. 

So when I started my band in high school, I remembered that feeling after not doing it for so long; you know, after thinking I was too cool for talent shows anymore. 

Eventually, I graduated and tried to go to college, and I just remember feeling like this was not doing it for me. 

I don’t feel as excited about anything as I do when I’m behind that curtain or on that stage. So, ever since then, I’ve been pursuing that feeling. 

Who were some of your musical inspirations growing up? How about now?

Aerosmith was the first band I wanted to emulate as a little kid. That was literally my first tattoo. 

Then, as I got older, I got a little bit more grunge, like ‘90s grunge, like Nirvana. To this day, Kurt Cobain and his band are my biggest influence. 

I also really like Ty Segal. His music is always inspiring. 

But now, it would be more of the circle of people I associate myself with, and their bands are what inspires me, I think, more than anything else being produced now.

What’s your perspective on the Long Beach music scene on and off stage?

I think it’s like a living organism adapting constantly; there are people that come and go, and then there are people that stay here forever. 

Some people that are still here were the ones that inspired me to move here. Now, a bunch of people in the scene were inspired by my bands or my friend’s bands, which is cool. 

Photo taken by Bowie De La Peña (@bowie_stop).

Do you feel supported by this community?

Definitely, that's kind of the point of it; it’s super supportive, extremely supportive. It's the reason why I moved to Long Beach was because I could feel the community. 

For instance, I'm going to be 31 in two days, and ten years ago, I thought success would be like playing Coachella or being on the radio or something like that. 

But now, I'm so happy none of that ever happened because I found the real thing in a community of artists and supporters who are tangible—people I can see. 

If my bands never reach that type of success, it doesn't matter because I already feel successful. After all, I think we did something more valuable and special within our community.

How did Sleeperz come about?

I was recording a bunch of music by myself. Then, my best friend, Chaz, thought I had something special going on, but he didn’t live in the area. 

I couldn’t find a band for about a year and just recorded myself. Eventually, Chaz wanted to move to Long Beach but had no prospects on where to live. 

I was broke, had no car, and was barely surviving. Out of desperation, I had him move into my tiny studio apartment with me, and we started the band with Alec and Jordan. 

Then we were a band for about a year and a half, quickly picking up and creating an album. Then COVID happened, but we finished the album. 

But just a month after its release, Chaz passed away. Obviously, it had a huge impact on all of us. After that,  I didn't know what the other guys would think. 

But I was just like, I know he'd want us to keep doing this shit. So we did, and it's crazy to think about it now because it’s been about five years since then. 

At this point, we've been a band longer without him than with him, but it doesn't feel that way. 

I’m so glad we continued; we’re like the only band from 2019 still in the scene with all the original members. I feel like we hold it down when it comes to the community. 

We kind of took off and didn’t ever stop.

Hadju alongside bandmates Alec (right) and Jordan (left) of The Sleeperz. Photo by Raz Azraai (@dancefloormurder).

How did BUSHFIRE come about?

My girlfriend, Ari, our lead vocalist, was in a band that broke up, and she didn’t have a band for a year, which made her start to lose her mind creatively, and I was writing these songs that I didn’t feel were Sleeperz songs.

They were more playful, less intense, and laughing in the face of societal bullshit rather than Sleeperz’s more ‘I’m going to start a riot and burn my house down’ vibe. 

So, we started playing with some songs, and Ari’s got this great voice and badass energy; it just clicked. 

Hadju alongside BUSHFIRE bandmates. Photo by Scott Free (@ogscottfree).

What do you think the future looks like for your bands? 

I want to get these bands on more legitimate shows and tours. Getting some label backing and eventual tour management would be huge. But it also has to be, like, the right situation. 

We’re definitely pushing to get a little bit more professional. We play with many bands already on that path, and they tell us, you know, that you have to do it yourself for a long time until the right situation comes about. 

But, like, I've never shopped around labels and pitched the bands, so that’s something I'm trying for next year.  We’re going to record two new albums for both bands and then see if someone wants to pick us up. 

I am really confident with the path that we're on. Everyone we've talked to keeps telling us to continue to do exactly what we're doing.

It can be a bit draining, and you feel like you're just going in circles and asking, ‘Well, when's it gonna happen?’ But I try to remind myself it's already happening.

Last question: what’s your favorite place to play right now, and what’s your dream place?

My favorite place to play locally is the Vine. It’s always had something special about it, and the community comes consistently and knows all the songs and stuff. It's just a vibe. 

I guess my dream place is playing a music festival called Desert Days. That music festival inspired me so much to do what I'm doing now. So it'd be a full circle for sure. 

Another one, which may be far-fetched, would be Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. I mean, dude, I feel like if you're playing there, I don't want to say like you fucking made it, but like you did.

I once saw an interview where John Mayer noted that many people don't set their eyes on what they would consider ‘making it.’ He said he has some friends who have sold millions of records but don't think they made it because they never set their bar. 

So, thinking about it now, playing Red Rocks is my bar. That’s when I could be like, yeah, I lived my dream.